The evidence that social relationships are associated with well‐being is so strong that it is taken as a ‘fact’ (Kushlev et al., 2018, Journal of Research in Personality, 74, 124). The bulk of the existing evidence derives from research examining social relationships with close others, such as family, romantic partners, and friends (Dolan et al., 2008, Journal Economic Psychology, 29, 94; Li & Kanazawa, 2016, British Journal of Psychology, 107, 675). However, less is known about how connecting with strangers is associated with well‐being, how such connections are represented by people, and what motivates people’s desire to connect with strangers. This study aims to examine representations and motivations for social connectedness with strangers in contemporary British cities. To do this, an interview study of 52 city‐dwellers living in Britain’s two largest cities, London and Birmingham, was conducted. The Grid Elaboration Method (GEM) (Joffe & Elsey, 2014, Review of General Psychology, 18, 173), a free association and interview technique, was applied. Thematic analysis revealed that representations of strangers vacillate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, are built upon the ‘self/other’ thema, are shaped by the contextual factors place, time, and technology, and are motivated by a desire to ‘matter’. This work makes a key contribution to the study of social connectedness in cities and can inform effective urban policy.

中文翻译：

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与城市中的陌生人联系：一种重要的方法

社会关系与幸福感相关的证据非常有力，以至于被视为“事实”（Kushlev等人，2018 年，人格研究杂志， 74、124 ）。大部分从研究检查与接近他人，比如家人，恋人，朋友（社会关系的现有证据导出的多兰等人，2008。[经济心理学，29，94;立金泽，2016年，英国杂志心理学，107, 675)。然而，人们对与陌生人的联系如何与幸福感相关联、人们如何代表这种联系以及是什么激发了人们与陌生人联系的愿望知之甚少。本研究旨在检验当代英国城市与陌生人的社会联系的表现和动机。为此，对居住在英国最大的两个城市伦敦和伯明翰的 52 名城市居民进行了访谈研究。网格细化方法 (GEM) (Joffe & Elsey, 2014, Review of General Psychology, 18, 173)，一种自由联想和面试技巧，被应用。主题分析表明，陌生人的表征在“好”和“坏”之间摇摆不定，建立在“自我/他者”主题之上，受地点、时间和技术的背景因素影响，并受到“重要”的渴望'。这项工作对城市社会联系的研究做出了重要贡献，并可以为有效的城市政策提供信息。